MV Wakashio Captain Returns Home After 16 Months In Mauritius Jail

The bulk carrier, MV Wakashio’s captain who was imprisoned in Mauritius for 16 months after his ship ran aground and resulted in an oil spill has come back to India after his release. Captain Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar stays with his family in Bhopal. He reunited with the family members on Thursday.

Nandeshwar thanked the Maritime Union of India, popular as the MUI, for its support in securing his release from jail. He added that he was able to come home due to the unending efforts of Amar Singh Thakur, MUI’s general secretary.

It was Thakur who pursued Nandeshwar’s release through a series of representations and negotiations with the maritime union of Mauritius, India’s Shipping Ministry, Ministry of External Affairs, and the High Commission of India in Port Louis. The information was shared by Nandeshwar in a release published by the MUI.

Representation Image – Credits: IMO – Flikr

Expressing unconditional happiness on Nandeshwar’s return, Namrata, his wife, said that their ordeal is now over. Nandeshwar is fine and has reached safely.

The 300-meter-long merchant vessel, MV Wakashio was under Captain Nandeshwar’s command when it set sail from China to Brazil. It got off its course on 25 July 2020, ramming into a coral reef. Two weeks after the accident, fuel oil leaked with about 1,000 tonnes reaching the once-pristine shores. Afterwards, the vessel broke into two and eventually sank.

The release mentioned that Mauritius battled pollution after the unforeseen oil spill from the bulk carrier MV Wakashio, threatening the livelihoods of communities that were dependent on the tourism sector. It also added that Captain Nandeshwar was arrested and sentenced at the Intermediate Court of Mauritius.

MV Wakashio Captain Returns Home After 16 Months In Mauritius Jail appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News